2023 CONTEST SUBJECTS

FLATWORMS – MACRO – Atlantic or Pacific. Note that this does not include nudibranchs (sea slugs).
Submission deadline: December 31st

PARROTFISH – ANY LENS – Your best Parrotfish, whole or a part, an individual or a school, Atlantic or Pacific.
Submission deadline: December 31st

NO VIDEO CONTEST

ALL BOTTLED UP – ANY LENS – Subjects located within a bottle (the majority of the subject must be in the bottle). Creative lighting and backlighting is encouraged.
Submission deadline: January 28th

BOTTOMS UP – ANY LENS – A shot of anything from a looking-up perspective, ie. from below. No humans, no over-under shots.
Submission deadline: January 28th

BOTTOMS UP – VIDEO – Video of anything from a looking-up perspective, ie. from below. No humans, no over-under shots. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: January 28th

SHRIMPS & CRABS ON THINGS – MACRO – Any shrimp or crab sitting on another animal. NO manipulation of the subjects! No shrimps/crabs on/in anemones.
Submission deadline: March 4th

SQUID AND CUTTLEFISHES – ANY LENS – Any squid or cuttlefish. No octopuses.
Submission deadline: March 4th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

NIGHT SHOT – ANY LENS – Shot exclusively at night, not snooted. Includes blackwater.
Submission deadline: April 1st

BLACK BACKGROUND MACRO – MACRO – Shot during the day, no blackwater or a night dive. No post-processing masking; the black background must be achieved in-camera. The use of a snoot is allowed/encouraged.
Submission deadline: April 1st

NIGHT VIDEO – VIDEO – Shot exclusively at night, including blackwater, any subject(s). 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: April 1st

FACE TO FACE – ANY LENS –  Any image that shows two faces facing each other. It can be two different species or the same species. No humans.
Submission deadline: April 29th

SHOOTING FOR THE STARS – ANY LENS – Starfish / sea stars from around the world. The starfish must be the main focus of the image with no animals riding or feeding on it.
Submission deadline: April 29th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

SILVER FISH WITH SCALES – ANY LENS – Any kind of predominantly silvery fish with scales, such as Barracudas, Tarpon, Silversides, Mackerels, Needlefishes, etc. Can be a single fish or multiples. Silvery Fishes is a specific category in the Reef Fish Identification books for our area and the Pacific. This category includes “fishes that are silver to gray in color and are generally unpatterned … all have forked tails.” If in doubt, check either of these books for which fish fit this category.
Submission deadline: June 3rd

MAJESTIC ANGELFISH – ANY LENS – Singles, pairs, or groups of any Angelfishes, Atlantic or Pacific. Check your fish ID to ensure it is an Angelfish, family Pomacanthidae.
Submission deadline: June 3rd

OVER/UNDER – VIDEO – This video will highlight the use of the over/under technique. Any subject. The entire video, or clips, must be filmed with motion. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: June 3rd

SUNRISES AND SUNSETS – WIDE ANGLE -Showcase the rich vibrant colors of a sunrise or sunset. Over-unders accepted and encouraged for this one. Must be a natural sunrise or sunset and must be shot from in the water.
Submission deadline: July 1st

SWIM THROUGH – WIDE ANGLE – Show us your best shot of a swim through where the light can be seen at the far end. (arches, wreck passageways and short, clear, tunnels enclosed on all 4 sides, no opening at the top).
Submission deadline: July 1st

SWIM THROUGH – WIDE ANGLE VIDEO – Show us your best video of a swim through where the light can be seen at the far end. (arches, wreck passageways and short, clear, tunnels enclosed on all 4 sides, no opening at the top). 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: July 1st

ANEMONE SHRIMP – MACRO – Several species of shrimps share a commensal relationship with sea anemones. Photograph the shrimp ON the anemone, both must be in the shot. Please check your id and make sure your subject is an anemone and not a coral! Some species look similar, but mushroom coral and bubble coral etc. are not acceptable.
Submission deadline: July 29th

ANEMONES – ANY LENS – A shot featuring an anemone, and must not include any inhabitants (fish, crabs, shrimps, etc.). This includes sea anemones, tube-dwelling anemones, corkscrew anemones, etc.
Submission deadline: July 29th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

AMBIENT LIGHT – WIDE ANGLE – A shot done in all natural light without strobes or video lights.
Submission deadline: September 2nd

SHARKS – WIDE ANGLE – Show us your favorite shark shot. No feeding visible in the shot.
Submission deadline: September 2nd

ANEMONES – VIDEO – Anemones and the creatures living in them. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: September 2nd

CLOSE-FOCUS WIDE ANGLE (CFWA) – WIDE ANGLE – Use the distance of the subject from the camera relative to a subject in the background / foreground to create a uniquely large or small perspective. The key here is to make a very large subject “appear” very small, or a very small subject “appear“ large. Of course scuba divers are great subjects to use as points of reference.
Submission deadline: September 30th

MARINE GASTROPOD AND BIVALVE MOLLUSKS – ANY LENS – A live, hard-shell mollusk (this includes snails, scallops, bivalves etc. and excludes sea slugs/nudibranchs). The animal and/or mantle must be visible, not just the shell. No hermit crabs and no cephalopods (octopus, squid, cuttlefish).
Submission deadline: September 30th

NO VIDEO CONTEST

EYELASHES – MACRO – The use of macro lenses and diopters to focus on the eyelashes of a creature. A couple of subjects with eyelashes are hermit crabs and cirri on blennies (if they are on top of the eyes and look like eyelashes).
Submission deadline: November 4th

PORTRAITS – MACRO – When they smile and pose for the camera; head shots. Macro subjects only.
Submission deadline: November 4th

HERMIT CRABS – Video showing hermit crab activities and behavior. 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: November 4th